Meeting the Challenges of Anaesthesia through Simulation Training-Rowan Molnar

MPSs or mannequin patient simulators have evolved rapidly with the advent of inexpensive personal computers and software capabilities. Dr. Rowan Molnar, a teacher of Simulation at various organisations and former Medical Education Director at St. Vincent's Simulation Centre - St. Vincent’s Hospital, says that patient simulators play an integral role in helping students, anaesthesiology trainees, and nurse anaesthetists learn to cope with complex clinical problems that may arise, including difficult management.

The multiple benefits of simulation training for learners

Patient simulation is one of the best ways for students to learn about complex scenarios malignant hyperthermia, intravenous air embolism, vaporiser leaks, contaminated oxygen supply, and other malfunctions in the delivery of anaesthesia. Dr. Rowan Molnar stresses the fact that simulation training offers distinct advantages where students learn to identify and correct rare and complex clinical problems. For the most part, this training can potentially be a life saver for many patients.  One of the biggest benefits of simulation training according to Dr. Rowan Molnar is that the training can be finetuned to the needs of the learner and not the patient. They are able to focus on specific components of a procedure or the procedure as a whole. Learners also have the opportunity to explore the various pros and limits of each technique and learn from failures, which isn’t possible in a clinical setting. In addition, there is more scope for formative and summative assessments due to the development of an increasing range of metrics. Most importantly, patient simulation training provides a platform for the entire healthcare team to learn and practice important clinical, leadership and interpersonal skills.